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Blog 1

The power of social media is undeniable! In this day and age, any company without an online presence is three steps behind the competition. Twitter and Facebook have become agents of change and 24/7 communication is now possible thanks to the advent of these websites. Additionally, any business needs an online portal in order to survive.

Is interactivity being oversold? I don’t believe so. Consumers may not always decide to voice their opinions online or peruse a website before going shopping. However, not having an online presence is more detrimental than not. What happens the one day that your loyal customer does decide to visit the company’s website instead of visiting the store? Or when a customer contacts the ‘Live Chat’ option for a customer service issue and is put on hold indefinitely? Interactivity is a powerful tool and I think all businesses would be intelligent in investing time and resources into these technologies, as they are the way of the future.

As with all things in life, actions reap positive and negative results. Check out this blog: http://www.sensibleemarketing.com/. One of the mentioned issues with online interactivity is that it is not always positive. However, learning how consumers feel about a product or issue can allow businesses to perfect their practice and improve their products and services. This same exact problem can occur with word-of-mouth communication and negativity is not exclusive to online interactivity. While the scope of online interactivity may be larger, companies always have the option to respond to negative comments and work to correct all problems quickly, more so than they would be able to do so with old-fashioned word-of-mouth complaints. Public relations departments exist and are ready to come to the rescue should there be a company fiasco or problem that needs to be addressed and fixed.

Another mentioned issue with online interactivity is that it is expensive. However, I would consider the allocation of resources into interactivity an investment. For start-up companies, it would not be too difficult to hire a PR expert to handle and coordinate all social media relations. This is a great way to kick-start business and obtain a following. For anyone who has a Facebook, chances are that you have a friend who has a jewelry business with a Facebook page, here is an example of such page: http://www.facebook.com/chic.bracelets. While the potential consumer may not buy every item posted, seeing these products keeps them aware of the brand and one day they might just catch the perfect piece that they were looking for. Another example of how this was done can be found here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220354. This is an important tool in order for a start-up business to get the momentum going. Once a company expands, interactivity and the costs associated with it should become less of a burden and more of an asset.

It would be impossible for most large companies to respond to EVERY single customer comment or question, but having an online outlet for these things can allow consumers to speak to one another and help each other out. For those that mention that with all businesses and companies having web presence, that there is more competition, I remind them that competition is what keeps our economy growing and our products and services improving.

While online interactivity is, in my opinion, not being oversold, companies should be tracking the success rate for all online interactivity. In addition, companies should not neglect the importance of brick-and-mortar locations. It is still essential to have a happy, helpful staff; as that can make all the difference for a brand’s image in the consumer’s mind. One company that does a great job with both their online presence and customer care is Nordstrom.

All in all, I believe that online interactivity is vital and necessary for business. Having just the right amount of video content paired with a navigable website, plus sufficiently active but not overwhelming e-mail list, Facebook account and Twitter feed are the perfect mix for success. Consumers are eager to be heard and companies will do right by listening.

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4 thoughts on “Blog 1”

Nicole, I wanted to agree with you that interactivity is a powerful tool. I wanted to add that even though there are great advantages if a company uses interactivity, the negative sides of it sometimes overpowers the online marketing portrayal. The cost and time required to have a good quality interactivity is huge. I feel that some companies think that interactivity is everything, and they offer low quality interactivity to their customers for wanting to have it all. So, I will disagree with you that interactivity is not being oversold. Companies should not base all of their online marketing campaigns into interactivity, because even though it is great for creating a relationship with clients, it is hard to actually do it right, so it is oversold.

Hi Nicole,
I appreciate your point about online criticism and how it may work in favor of companies, by allowing them to address problems before they have a chance to mushroom and affect brand image. Online forums are more far-reaching than the face-to-face interaction required for word-of-mouth complaints, but they do enable businesses to stay in the loop when it comes to customer opinion. I did not think about this when writing my blog, and might have considered online negativity to be more detrimental. However, I’m glad you pointed out that word-of-mouth criticism may be even more sinister because it bars businesses from responding. To ensure a spotless image (or close it) companies must do enough to limit both types of negativity.

Nicole, I must say you did a great job writing this blog; it is extremely interesting. I do agree with you that online interactivity is vital and necessary for businesses. Using interactivity in online marketing is extremely beneficial; it gives you tons of different ways to make more personal connections with your audience. It’s all about creating a bond with your customers and building trusting relationships. With the Internet at an advantage, the old days of making cold calls became a tool of the past. Now a days, companies can interact with their target audience in many ways that would have been though impossible or even overly expensive just a few years ago. I feel this is a very powerful tool which will definitely increase the chances of success in a business. If you like to check out my blog regarding interactivity in online marketing, here is my link: thebitebykat.blogspot.com

As someone who enjoys online shopping and participating in discussions- I agree. It is very time consuming but it is completely worth it. I know that when I comment on something and someone else (whether it’s an employee or another commentator) I get really excited! I feel like someone cares about what I have to say, regardless of whether or not they agree or disagree.